London Kaiseki | Umu

I’ve been craving Japanese food again lately, so I finally made plans with a friend to check out Umu, a Michelin one-star restaurant that I’ve heard about but never visited before 🍣 You need to make a reservation on their website in advance. It's located in a little alley near Bond Street, and the entrance is quite discreet. It took a while to find, and I had to ring the doorbell for someone to come and open the door. The interior is quite similar to Japanese restaurants in Shanghai, and the restaurant specializes in Kaiseki, though you can also order à la carte. We went for the Summer Kaiseki Menu, which is £250 per person. 🦞 Mukozuke Lobster meat and scallop tartare topped with abalone and fish roe—this was a refreshing appetizer. 🐟 Nimonowan Smoked and marinated sea bass served with a piece of cooked eggplant. It’s topped with lime zest and sliced bell peppers. The broth is flavored with bacon, yuzu, and crushed peas. 🍣 Tsukuri The pre-selection focused on white fish. Personally, I found the scallop a bit strange—too sticky and not quite crispy enough. The mackerel had a slight fishy taste. Overall, it was decent. The selection part included tuna sashimi, fatty tuna, and a seaweed and spring onion tuna hand roll. The fatty tuna was well-prepared, and dipping it in soy sauce didn’t make it greasy. The sashimi and hand roll were also quite good. If you order wine, the bill will come to about £300+ per person. It was a great Kaiseki experience, though a bit pricey, but definitely worth it. The portions are also quite large—by the time we got to the grilled meats, we were almost full! #Kaiseki #UK #LondonRestaurants #LondonJapaneseCuisine #HiddenGems #JapaneseFood #UKRestaurantReview #JapaneseRestaurantRecommendations